I planned to only write about this on haus maus today but with so many of you interested in kitchen design on a budget I thought I’d share my little German kitchen here on decor8 instead. For a bit of history, here is what the kitchen looked like before renovations in our apartment. These photos were taken last October when we agreed to take this flat.

Slightly after… This is when we officially moved in this past August 2008.

My kitchen inspiration board created in May… I had plans!

And now!

I have a few more things to do and eventually I want to wallpaper or paint it, but for now I’m quite content and pleased with the outcome. I need to sew a roman blind for the window this week, hang a vintage clock I won on eBay, and put up some art to the left of the shelves, and then I can officially call it quits in the kitchen at least for this year.

A vintage cabinet from the 1940’s from eBay Germany. I wanted a contrast – vintage on the left, modern to the right (IKEA). I love the contrast, I think it makes the kitchen more interesting. I want to paint the inside white, wallpaper the interior doors, and stack lots of pretty dishtowels and plates on it.

Next year when I return to Germany to stay here in our apartment again, I will consider wallpaper and/or paint for the walls. Until then, this is my kitchen. I’m so happy with it, my husband and I designed it by ourselves and I think we did a nice job considering I have so little experience in kitchen design and he has, well… none. We just went with gut instinct, used the IKEA kitchen planning tool online, and purchased nearly all of our appliances on Amazon. You cannot see it, but in the kitchen we have a dryer with a butcher block top where we keep canisters and such, with a chalkboard/message center above that.

This darling glass pear terrarium was found at a local hardware store for $10. I couldn’t let such cuteness remain in the store… It needed to come home with me. They had an apple too. :)

Hope my little city kitchen inspires some of you today that between IKEA, eBay, and Amazon you can design a nice little kitchen that won’t break the bank! Most of the accessories that you see are from Danish companies, the rug, bowls, etc. or from the local flea market which I shop religiously each and every Saturday. :)

Need a Monday morning pick-me-up today? Looking for a creative outlet that is inexpensive, easy, fun, and a way for you to connect with others or to simply inspire yourself? Many of you know the creative Jess as the lady behind the lovely Lobster and Swan blog and from her etsy shop… but did you know that she maintains another blog as well? Oh yes, it is called Record The Day and it’s very, VERY inspirational. {Warning: Jess may inspire you to start recording your day as well.} Her blog contains little text and lots of gorgeous collages that she pulls together to give you a glimpse of her day translated into papers of all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors.

This is a brilliant idea, a very visual journal, a great way to record your life if you don’t always feel like writing. I’d like to experiment with something like this as a personal project or as a way to share my day with my Flickr contacts. I already have a large empty journal that would be the perfect place for something like this. Would you like to share your day visually too? Why not give this idea a try.

Paste, tape, staple… receipts, photos, torn pages from magazines, a train ticket, a mood board recording the thoughts and experiences had during the day… I really love this as a form of blogging as well and think that Record The Day is absolutely lovely. Thank you Jess for putting your wonderful self out into the world, we are all so inspired by you!

I want to wish everyone a lovely weekend and leave you with some gorgeous images from a 2007 Has Hali ad campaign, photography by the great Michelangelo Di Battista shot in the grand Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. I’ve been learning a lot about the Turkish culture lately as I recently made a new friend named Esra who has been so, so kind to me and doing a lot of really nice things to make me feel at home in Hannover. Esra was born in Germany but her entire family is Turkish and she frequently travels to Istanbul to see them and to shop the bazaars and find inspiration. She takes great pride in her cultural heritage and tells me many stories of life in Istanbul which has left me intrigued… I want to know more.

Notice the lovely doves? And of course, the stunning Polish model Iza Olak…

Esra is really talented, not only does she hold a degree in law but is currently working on another in public relations. In addition to this, she designs jewelry and is employed by Clinique in Germany so her makeup is absolute perfection. If that were not enough, she also maintains a blog called Sultanissima. She is my link to Has Hali and this ad campaign. The other evening we were together and she shared these photos with me and wow, I could not stop thinking about it after she parted. I am learning so much about Turkish culture being in Germany (so many live here) that I am now longing more than ever before to travel there. It’s only 2.5 hours by plane to Istanbul from here, so maybe next year I will go… But for now I will travel to Istanbul through the eyes of Italian photographer Michelangelo Di Battista into the corridors of the Topkapi Palace and through the dear Esra.

Can you imagine living like this?

Thank you Esra for opening my eyes to your culture and to this beautiful ad campaign of the great Has Hali. These photos are so enchanting and the lighting is just beautiful… Wow. This totally put me in a more Autumn state of mind with all these dark, rich hues and embroidered textiles.

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Hello! I'm Holly and I'm primarily an interiors and lifestyle writer and decor8 is where I share unique, inspiring and beautiful products, people and places with a focus on creativity. I also write about blogging, social media and small business topics. I love to inspire and motivate others.

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